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Newsletter

The 39th Fellowship Program took place in record-setting weather conditions. The Japanese main islands are usually in the middle of the rainy season, otherwise known as “tsuyu” in Japanese, from June to mid July. However, it never rained during the week of the Fellows’ stay, and on June 28th, the Japanese Me-teorological Agency announced that the last time tsuyu had finished so early was in 1951! Under the unexpected scorching sunshine with temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius (90 F!), most Fellows arrived at Narita Airport on June 24th. The program commenced the next morning with an orientation that included brief lectures such as the Japanese education system and Japan’s history. His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki, former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, spoke to the Fellows about the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance from the viewpoint of a top diplomat. Five company visits were arranged this time. At Mitsui Fudosan, one of Japan’s major city complex developers, we were able to see their buildings restore classical designs at lower levels to replicate Tokyo's former cityscape. At Isehan, the last rouge manufacturer from Benibana (safflower) petals, we were shown their secret recipe established in the 19th century. One of the Fellows was impressed

to see that Japa-nese companies respect tradition and history but also implement cutting-edge designs at the same time. Dai-ichi Life, Nissan Motors, and Shimizu Corporation were also gracious enough to display their ways of working together and expanding business in North America, their manufacturing craftwork, and disaster preventing innovations. In addition to visiting five companies, we also visited 3 high schools: Koyamadai (public), Shibuya, and Hinode (private) High School. Japanese students tend to have a rich vocabulary but they don’t know how to interact with foreigners, because our lessons put more emphasis on text learning rather than conversational skills. However, despite certain language barriers, students are innocent and curious wherever you go; a girl at Hinode showed such a nice smile while taking a selfie with one of the Fellows, Megan. Fellows then visited Nikko Toshogu, a shrine built in 1617 to enshrine Ieyasu Tokugawa, the Shogun who

founded the Edo regime. They experienced homestays at either Setagaya or Itabashi district. This year’s wrap-up was a roundtable discussion with company representatives. James, Zach and Guillaume kindly volunteered as speakers, introducing their findings throughout the journey and called for more grass-root exchanges among people in the education sectors.

In this Newsletter: 1. 2018 Program Highlights 2. From the 2018 Fellows 3. Alumni Updates

2018 Program Highlights

Japan Study Tour & Japan Lesson Plans: http://en.kkc.or.jp/programs/stj/ Contact us at: fellowship@kkc.or.jp

August 2018

Other contents

Lectures: - Mr. Jonathan Berkshire Miller, international securities expert, “Japan and the World”, “Life in Tokyo”

- Ms. Yasuko Matoba and Mr. Masayasu Kitai, Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute, “Japanese Society and Family”

- Mr. Tatsuhiko Yoshizaki, Sojitz Research Institute, “The Economy in Japan Today”

- Mr. Tsukasa Agari, Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, “People to People Exchange Programs of MOFA”, “What mid 30s workers’ life is like in Japan”

- Dr. Kazuhiro Maeshima, Sophia University, “Changing Faces of Japanese Electoral Campaigns”

Meetings: - Discussion with public high school teachers in Tokyo (comparing education systems, sharing problems and/or solutions)

Other visits: - Nikko Jingoro Sembei (a rice cracker factory in Nikko)

Options: - Baseball game (Swallows vs. Tigers)

- Meiji Shrine

- Museum tours

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happy to that the Nissan owners in our group had only positive feedback to give. I was amazed that this globally renowned com-pany truly craved our personal stories in the same way I have seen local small business owners become excited over hearing how someone had liked their product. Visiting Japan has left me with a new perspective on the level of peace and harmony a society can obtain when everyone strives for the same goal. Japan is a wonderful country that I believe the rest of the world can learn from in respects for creating a happy, well-balanced community.

ing when it is time to work as well as relaxing and enjoying each other’s company when it is time to relax. As someone who loves food and cooking, I also enjoyed the availability of quality, healthy food at very affordable prices even when we were on the go. It became clear to me that everyone had a deep sense of pride and care for what they did, either in their personal life or in their career. An example of this was the amount of sheer joy one of the corporate representatives from Nissan had when he heard our stories of owning their cars in America. He was so proud and

My experience in Japan was incredible and humbling. My expectation of Tokyo was that it would be similar to New York City or Rome and while it is similar to these cities in some respects, I was absolutely blown away by the level of consideration Japanese citizens have for one another and their environment. Tokyo was by far the cleanest and safest city I have ever visited. This is a reflection of Japan’s society in general. Japan is certainly a country that understands balance. I deeply appreciated the atmosphere of Japanese society; the emphasis on work-

A Well Balanced Community Alyssa Mclean, 2018 Fellow

Umbrella dance at ball games Some Fellows went to a baseball game, in which the Yakult Swallows played against the Hanshin Tigers at Jingu Stadium. Fellows were seated in the Swallows area and all of a sudden, people started lifting umbrellas up and down to the rhythm of a classic song called “Tokyo ondo (dance song)” composed in 1932, when we still had summer night dance festi-vals here and there with people in Yukata (casual kimono for summer and/or after bathing). This had nothing to do with umbrellas, but in 1952, Masayasu Okada, a Swallows fan started the umbrella dance with this ondo to cheer the team up.

The 2018 KKC Teacher Fel-lowship exceeded my highest expectations for professional development! The trip included visits to schools, businesses, and historic sites as well as discussions with a former ambassador to the United States, a security analysts and demographer who focused on the latest issues shaping U.S.-Japan relationships. Our group traveled to the Toshogu Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Nikko, enjoying the stunning architecture in the picturesque mountainous environment. Visits to three schools included a glimpse of both public and private education in Japan,

with lively exchanges between our teacher fellows, Japanese stu-dents and their teachers. One group of students even shared the soup they had made in culinary class! A stop at a small rice-cracker factory showed us the pride workers have as they generously shared freshly made crackers and mochi. Touring the Nissan factory impressed our group with the level of automation and high-tech design embedded in the thriving automobile industry. The guides from the Shimizu Corporation fascinated and unnerved us with remarkable engineering demon-strations which protect buildings and people from earthquake damage. These educational events were complemented with cultural. At a professional baseball game, we learned how to cheer with the locals by opening our umbrellas when the home team “showered” us with homeruns. Our overnight stays with families allowed us to experience the generosity and warmth of Japanese homes. We shared meals and con-versations ranging from food, sports, art and politics but

always concluded with our shared appreciation of our many shared values and hope for continued strong relation-ships between our nations and our people.

Appreciation of Our Shared Values Abby Dupke, 2018 Fellow

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Dan Boyer shared with KKC his Final Report on his activities related to Japan back at his middle school in Morley, Michigan. Dan gave lessons about the Olym-pics and how they can contribute to a sense of national pride. Japan held its first Olympic games in Tokyo in 1964, when the whole country was reviving with rapid economic growth after World War II. Skyscrapers, bullet trains, highways, and even our first post-war commercial aircraft YS11 was launched to make it in time. The Olympics served as the best opportunity for the Japanese to showcase the country to the world.

Dan’s students also explored how the Olympics can be a place for political issues to play out. Russian athletes were banned and couldn’t declare as a national team at Pyong-yang. The recent games gave the two Koreas an opportunity for dialogue through sports, even joining together to form a unified women’s ice hockey team. Some may remember the “Miracle on Ice” in the hockey game at the 1980 Olympics. The game served as an expression of national pride for the U.S. during the Cold War Era. Dan also had the opportunity to share cultural lessons that he learned while in Japan. He was touched by a Japanese custom of folding a thousand cranes by origami and gathering them into one bundle, the “senbazuru”, when someone wants to pray for another’s luck, happiness or cure of diseases, and returning safe from some-where far away. When one of

Dan’s students became seriously ill and had to travel for treat-ment, he encouraged his class to make senbazuru and called it, “One School, One Wish”. Senbazuru is one of our ways to express that our heart is always together.

Alumni Update

Dan Boyer

2017 Fellow

The KKC Fellowship during the summer of 2017 was an invalua-ble experience that has promoted not only my ability to teach about the historic and contemporary society and politics of Japan, but has enhanced my professional reflection and growth as an educator as well. Since returning to Madison, Wisconsin I have designed and taught multiple lessons across the courses that I instruct. In addition to designing and implementing new lessons and activities about Japanese culture, society, history, and politics I have presented to multiple staff professional development sessions, and successfully recruited a group of students for a study tour of Japan during the summer of 2018. During the semesters after coming back from the study tour, I presented twice to my high school staff and the district at large. Teachers were provided with an overview of the pro-gram, how I came to learn about the opportunity, the important takeaways and information I learned about the Japanese education system, and the importance of being a global citizen. Educators from the elementary to the high school level discussed ways

in which they could incorporate glob-al citizenship into their curriculum. any teachers communicated their interest in learning more about Japan and incorporating activities on culture and society into their classrooms. I also presented on the fellowship to a group of Edgewood College students, to provide them with insight and excitement about some of the opportunities that may be available to them as they enter the teaching profession and strive to enhance their global educator credentials. I teach about Japan primarily in my AP Human Geography class. During each unit students apply the skills of a human geographer to look at Japanese culture, ethnicities, reli-gion, population, migration patterns, development, urban sprawl, agriculture, and economy. Japan is used as a case study for students to see the impacts of the human geography on a political state. Japan is a great example of a nation-state with more-or-less a single ethnicity with a unique and diverse modern pop culture land-scape with strong roots in ancient folk culture. Of the many activities that I teach about Japan that have

been developed since returning from the fellowship there is one that stands out-Karaoke. I have students research and write a report on the history of Karaoke in Japan and then select a song to perform in our own “karaoke room”. In this scenario students take on different roles. Some students are performers, others are employees who supply snacks and beverages to those in the room, and others are videographers who document the performances and produce a video that we watch as a class. Students learn a lot about Japanese culture, food, and have a great time in the process!

An Invaluable Experience Andrew Hartman, 2017 Fellow

KKC is delighted that Dan was recently assigned as a high school principal.

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URL: http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000427.html

Ms. Mary Hammond Bernson, 1981 alumni, was awarded the Japanese Imperial Decoration -Order of the Rising Sun

On April 29th, the Japanese Government announced 140 foreign recipients of the Imperial Decorations for spring 2018. Ms. Mary Hammond Bernson, Director of the

East Asia Resource Center, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (Kyokujitsu Sho Jusho), in recogni-tion of her contributions in promot-ing understanding of Japan in the United States and educational ex-change between Japan and the United States. Mary first visited Japan in 1981 as a KKC Fellow and quickly gained an interest in Japan. After returning to the U.S., she started working at the

School Update: Koyamadai Defeated in Finals: High School Baseball Match, Eastern Tokyo Area On July 29th, the final regional tournament game for the Koshien (all-Japan high school baseball match) to decide the Eastern Tokyo team was held and Koyama-dai High School which we visited in the 2018 Program lost against a private school Nishogakusha High school by 3 to 6. This year the series celebrates its 100th anniversary, older than the pro leagues. If Koyamadai had won, it would have been the 4th metropolitan school in history to take part in the all-Japan matches and the last winner was in 2003. Koyamadai’s ace player, who will retire after the end of this series, gave a brisk comment “we could show that a metropolitan school can do well in both sports and studying”. Koshien took place from August 5th to 21th at Koshien stadium near Osaka. Many grown-ups cheer for their home prefecture teams. This year Osaka Toin High school won their fifth summer Koshien title and eighth overall.

mentioned school and devoted her-self to create curriculum introducing Japan at their educational institu-tions. KKC is delighted to learn the news and would like to congratulate Mary’s s relentless and hard work to enhance friendship over the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese medal system started in the 19th century when the Edo regime was overthrown to be renewed as the Empire of Japan. It is awarded by The Emperor, and the Rising Sun Medal goes to those who have dedicated themselves to improve the quality of society and people’s lives. Check the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle website for details.

MOF

UW

Trivia:

KKC’s last frontier is

North Dakota! The KKC team is facing a mystery– although we have run this program for 38 years, we have never met Fellows from North Dakota. As far as the members could find, there were no trip winners since our program launch in 1980. Maybe our promotion activities are not sufficient, but we hope that we can invite a teacher from North Dakota in the near future. KKC would appreciate your cooperation and advice regarding effective promotion routes.

From KKC Staff

Rie Sakagoshi

While preparing for this program, I was a little nervous about how to handle the entire schedule with 10 visitors. But, once I met the 10 fellows and conversed with each of them, I felt much better about where the program was heading. Sometimes, Japanese people are described as polite and calm, but I must say that the 10 fellows were also polite, calm and helpful. During the program, the Fellows sometimes had to wake up early in the morning, despite jet lag, and rush to the next location. But everyone told me that they knew how difficult it is to deal with a large group, because that is their job as teachers. I am honored to join this histori-cal program, and I appreciate the opportunity to meet new and wonderful friends.

Arigato 2018 Fellows Marv Sorensen, Benson High School, Benson, Arizona

Zach Raugewitz, Washburn Rural High School, Topeka, Kansas

John Yager, Pittsford Mendon High School, Pittsford, New York

Sigrid Olsen, Sprague High School, Salem, Oregon

Megan Cole, Homewood High School, Homewood, Alabama

Alyssa McLean, Edward Little High School, Auburn, Maine

Abby Jane Dupke, Hamilton High School, Chandler, Arizona

James Duran, Coleman Middle School, Tampa, Florida

Victoria Reed, Omaha Central High School, Omaha, Nebraska

Guillaume Laroche, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta